Sheep-shears.



PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

. M. A. LIPSOOMB.

SHEEP SHEARS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.5, 1906.

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I mounting the blades.

MARY ANGELINA LIPSGOMB, OF EUREKA, CALIFORNIA.

SHEEP-SH EARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2, 1907.

Application filed September 5, 1906. Serial No. 333,298.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JMARY ANGELINA Lrrs- COMB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Eureka, in the county of Humboldt and State of California, have invented a new and useful Sheep-Shears, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in sheep-shears.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of sheep-shears and to increase the life of the same and to enable the blades when past usefulness to be replaced.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pair of sheep-shears having adjustable blades adapted as the cutting edges become worn at the points to be swung inwardly to arrange the outer effective portions of the cutting edges in proper position, and thereby compensate for the wear incident to sharpening the blades.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a pair of sheep-shears constructed in accordance with this invention. *Fig. 2 is a detail longitudinal sectional view taken substan tially on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of one of the handles, illustrating the construction for adjustably Fig. 4; is a detail erspective view of a portion of a blade, il lustrating a slight modification of the invention.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawin 's.

1 1 designate the handles, which are substantially U-shaped in cross-section and which are provided at their rear ends with springs 2 of the ordinaryconstruction. The springs, which are adapted to separate the handles and the blades 3, are secured together at their contiguous ends by one or more rivets 4 or other suitable fastening devices; but as the springs do not constitute a portion of the present invention any form of connectingspring may be employed.

Each handle is provided at its front end with a flattened shank 5, and it has a lateral extension 6 projecting inwardly from the inner end of the same, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. The shank is provided at its front or outer end with a pivot-opening 7, which is threaded for the reception of a screw 8 or other suitable pivot. The screw 8, which pierces the blade 3 at an intermediate point, has its head countersunk in the same, so that the blades will present smooth contiguous faces, so as not to interfere with the free operation with the screws. The shank is also provided at an intermediate point with an arcuate slot 9, which receives an adjustable screw 10,v and the latter engages a threaded perforation 11 of the blade. The arcuate slot permits the blade to be swung inwardly on the pivot 8 to move the.

effective portions of the cutting edges inwardly as the same becomes worn by grinding, so that the said effective portions of the cutting edges will be in proper position for cutting. 1n shearing wool from sheep only the point and the outer portions of cutting edges are used, and the blades as they are sharpened become worn approximately from the point 11 at the inner end of the dotted line 12, while the inner portions of the cutting edges receive little or no wear. The outer portions of the cutting edges will be worn away by grinding until the said outer portions of the cutting edges will be ar ranged at an angle to the inner portions, and

in order to overcome the loss by grinding the blades are swung inward on their pivots 8 to bring the outer portions of their cutting edges in position for effective use.

. The lateral extension 6 is curved longitudinally of the shears and presents a concave face to the blade, which is provided at its inner end with a curved extension 13, projecting longitudinally of the device and having a threaded perforation 14 fr the reception of a screw 15, which operates in an arcuate slot 16 of the lateral extension 6. The screws are countersunk in the arcuate slots, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The pivotal adjustment of the blades greatly increases the life of the shears, and after the points or outer portions of the blades are entirely worn away the '"blades may be replaced without discarding the handles and the connectingsprings. Instead of arranging the arcuate slots in the shank and lateral extension of the handle they may be formed in the blade, as shown at 16 and 17 in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In shears, the combination with handles provided at their front ends with longitudinal shanks and having lateral extensions projecting inwardly from the inner ends of the shanks and provided with slots, blades pivoted at their inner portions to the front or outer ends of the shanks and having longitudinal extensions projecting from the inner ends of the blades and located beneath the slots of the lateral extensions, and adjusting devices mounted on the longitudinal extensions of the blades and operating in the slots of the lateral extensions of the handles for securing the said blades in their adjustment.

, 2. In shears, the combination with handles provided at their front ends with longitudinal shanks and having lateral extensions projecting inwardly and curved longitudinally of the shears, blades pivoted at their inner portions to the outer edges of the shanks and provided at their inner ends with longitudinal extensions curved to fit the lateral extensions, and means for adjustably connecting the extensions.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MARY ANGELINA LIPSCOMB.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. KINsEY, H. W. LEAGH. 

